Toughest, easiest four-game stretches in the NFC South in 2024

With the NFL's 2024 schedule released, here are the toughest (and easiest) four-game stretches for each team in the NFC South.

Atlanta Falcons

TOUGHEST • Weeks 1-4: vs. Steelers; at Eagles; vs. Chiefs; vs. Saints

Kirk Cousins won't get a grace period in his first season with the Falcons. Atlanta's beginning slate is absolutely brutal — its first five games of the season are all against teams that finished 2023 with a winning record. Former head coach Arthur Smith could get revenge in Week 1, and playing a Mike Tomlin-coached team is never how you want to start a season.

The Eagles invested in their defense this offseason and should be tougher on that side of the ball, while the Chiefs are the reigning Super Bowl champions and will certainly be ready for the primetime Week 3 affair. Schedule makers didn't do Atlanta any favors by scheduling an intense rivalry game with New Orleans on a short week following the Monday nighter against Kansas City.

EASIEST • Weeks 15-18: at Raiders; vs. Giants; at Commanders; vs. Panthers

If the Falcons muster a 2-2 start through the first month of the season, they should be in good shape to snap their postseason drought. Atlanta has an easy schedule to end the season and, realistically, should be able to go 4-0 during this stretch. The Raiders and Giants have uncertainty at quarterback, while it's anyone's guess how rookie Jayden Daniels will fare on a rebuilding Washington squad. Meanwhile, little is expected of the Panthers after going 2-15 last season. And although one of their two wins came against Atlanta, that should also mean the Falcons enter that one on high alert.

Carolina Panthers

TOUGHEST • Weeks 12-15: vs. Chiefs; vs. Buccaneers; at Eagles; vs. Cowboys

The only good news about this difficult stretch for the Panthers is they have a bye before they enter the gauntlet. Four consecutive meetings against 2023 playoff teams would be hard for any team, but it will be particularly daunting for a team on its fifth head coach (including interim) in three seasons.

EASIEST • Weeks 7-10: at Commanders; at Broncos; vs. Saints; vs. Giants

Carolina's easiest stretch comes in its four games before the most challenging part of the schedule. If Bryce Young takes positive strides under first-year head coach Dave Canales, that could make his Week 7 game against Daniels and the Commanders a fair fight. The Broncos and Giants don't strike fear in anyone, while the game against the inconsistent Saints could be a battle for last in the NFC South.

New Orleans Saints

TOUGHEST • Weeks 2-5: at Cowboys; vs. Eagles; at Falcons; at Chiefs

During this stretch, culminating on Monday night at Arrowhead, the Saints play three 2023 playoff teams. Road trips to Dallas and Atlanta are tall orders, and the one home game during this sequence, against Philadelphia, has its own set of hurdles. With running back Saquon Barkley joining wide receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith, the Eagles could have one of the league's most explosive offenses.

EASIEST • Weeks 14-17: at Giants; vs. Commanders; at Packers; vs. Raiders

The Saints would likely have preferred road trips to New York and Green Bay in September instead of December, but that's a small gripe for the team during their easiest season stretch. In Mike Clay's 2024 projections for ESPN, the Giants are the projected worst team in football, while the Commanders and Raiders are both projected to lose 11 games. New Orleans also jumped out to a 17-0 halftime lead against Green Bay last year before quarterback Derek Carr left the game due to injury, so it should head into Lambeau with some confidence that it can finish what it started in 2023.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

TOUGHEST • Weeks 7-10: vs. Ravens; vs. Falcons; at Chiefs; vs. 49ers

The Bucs' playoff mettle will be tested in this murderer's row smack dab in the middle of the season. 2023 MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson comes to town in Week 7, followed by the division-favorite Falcons a week later. Games against last year's Super Bowl participants in Weeks 9-10 make this a stretch where Tampa could feasibly go 0-4.

EASIEST • Weeks 12-16: at Giants; at Panthers; vs. Raiders; at Chargers

After licking its wounds during its Week 11 bye, Tampa should bounce back with four easier games near the season's tail-end. The Chargers, with quarterback Justin Herbert and first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh, are the only threatening team during this stretch. But with Los Angeles moving on from several key offensive contributors during the offseason, it might be its most vulnerable under Harbaugh this year.